Classical Music

The commanding diva Karita Mattila, taking the title role of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut,” offers a cool Nordic sound and sensibility that clash with the clichéd verismo realism of the Met’s 1980 production, but her many fans will still find much to enjoy. With Marcello Giordani (an unpredictable but authentically Italian Des Grieux), Dwayne Croft, and Dale Travis; Donald Runnicles, who conducted the final performance in Lorin Maazel’s run of “Die Walküre,” does similar duty here, taking over an orchestra that, under James Levine, played at its magnificent best. (Feb. 20 at 8 and Feb. 23 at 8:30. These are the final performances.) | Bartlett Sher’s winsome new staging of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” is a modern Met classic, with sunny colors and a well-measured wit that will insure its continued presence in the repertory. The fine cast includes Elina Garanca (the young Latvian mezzo-soprano, making a charming début as Rosina), Franco Vassallo, José Manuel Zapata, Maurizio Muraro, and the great veteran Ruggero Raimondi (as Don Basilio); Frédéric Chaslin. (Feb. 21 and Feb. 25 at 8.) | Elijah Moshinsky’s production of Verdi’s (very) grand opera “Otello” almost overpowers the Met’s stage with its towering scenery, but when the principals are front and center, the action comes alive as gripping theatre. Plácido Domingo defined the title role for a generation of Met operagoers, but Johan Botha successfully takes up his mantle with an intensely lyrical and technically secure portrayal; Renée Fleming, as Desdemona, proves that she can still exploit the resources of her uncommonly lovely voice with elegance and taste. The explosive force of Verdi’s score registers under the baton of Semyon Bychkov. (Feb. 22 and Feb. 26 at 8.) | Franco Zeffirelli’s realist productions are engendering a backlash at the Met, which this bland revival of “Carmen” confirms. That said, Olga Borodina, the titular Gypsy, still possesses one of the sexiest voices in opera, and the young tenor Marcelo Álvarez is passionately sincere as her abused (and abusive) lover Don José. With Krassimira Stoyanova and Lucio Gallo; Emmanuel Villaume keeps the drama potent in the pit. (Feb. 23 at 1:30.) | Patricia Racette hosts the Met’s annual National Council Auditions Grand Finals Concert, the most prestigious showcase for young singers in America; Stephen Lord conducts the Met Orchestra in a sequence of arias and showpieces. (Feb. 24 at 3.) (Metropolitan Opera House. 212-362-6000.)

DICAPO OPERA: “DANGEROUS LIAISONS”

The hardy professional company, mixing recent works by conservative composers along with repertory classics, presents the New York première of Conrad Susa’s 1994 opera, based on the infamous epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos. (Dicapo Opera Theatre, 184 E. 76th St. Feb. 21 at 7:30 and Feb. 23 at 8. Through March 2.)

ORCHESTRAS AND CHORUSES

RUSSIAN NATIONAL ORCHESTRA

Vladimir Jurowksi, an impressive young maestro who has just been appointed principal conductor of the London Philharmonic, resists the idea that Russian ensembles should play only Russian music when on tour; his two concerts at Avery Fisher Hall offer an intriguing mix. Feb. 23 at 8: Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony—finished, that is, in a version by the young composer Anton Safronov—precedes Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (with the elegant Stephen Hough). | Feb. 24 at 3: Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (with the athletic and incisive Garrick Ohlsson) followed by an old favorite, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”). (212-721-6500.)

Pierre Boulez brings one of his favorite orchestras to Carnegie Hall, with French music, new music, and modern classics on the bill. Feb. 25 at 8: The New York première of Matthias Pintscher’s “Osiris” is followed by Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (with the insightful Mitsuko Uchida) and Debussy’s “Images.” | Feb. 26 at 8: The New York Philharmonic is not the only ensemble celebrating the work of Luciano Berio. Boulez’s final program, which features Berlioz’s “Les Nuits d’Été” (sung by the splendid Susan Graham) and Stravinsky’s “Petrushka” (in the 1911 version) begins with “Quatre Dédicaces,” a suite of potent miniatures by the eminent Italian composer. (212-247-7800.)

RECITALS

ALFRED BRENDEL

A week notable for its piano programs begins with a major event: the final New York recital of the legendary European pianist, who will perform Haydn’s Variations in F Minor, along with sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven (“Quasi una Fantasia,” Op. 27, No. 1), and Schubert (in B-Flat Major, D. 960), at Carnegie Hall. (212-247-7800. Feb. 20 at 8.)

CHRISTIAN ZACHARIAS

Another distinguished Germanic pianist, this one in mid-career, offers a recital this week, at the Rose Theatre: an early sonata of Beethoven (Op. 7) and several essays in the form by Scarlatti, introduced by Schumann’s dreamy “Kinderszenen.” (Broadway at 60th St. 212-721-6500. Feb. 20 at 8.)

TAKÁCS QUARTET

The formidable Anglo-Hungarian-American foursome’s last concert at Zankel Hall was a daring mix of works by Schubert, Glass, and Pärt with readings from Philip Roth’s “Everyman”; their next offers the more traditional comforts of string quartets by Haydn, Bartók (No. 5), and Brahms (No. 2 in A Minor). (212-247-7800. Feb. 21 at 7:30.)

MUSIC AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM

Feb. 21 at 8: Stephen Kovacevich, a notable American pianist long resident in London, offers a concert of music by Bach, Schumann (“Kinderszenen”), and one of his signature pieces, Beethoven’s “Diabelli” Variations. | Feb. 22 at 8: The vibrant young players of MMArtists in Concert (led by the cellist Edward Arron) perform quintets by Beethoven, Wuorinen (the Quintet for Piano and Strings), and Dvorák (the String Quintet in E-Flat Major). | Feb. 23 at 8: Elegantly eminent for four decades, the Guarneri String Quartet has announced that it will retire at the end of the 2008-09 season. Their next engagement features quartets by Haydn (the “Rider”), Smetana, and Beethoven (the third “Razumovsky”). (Fifth Ave. at 82nd St. 212-570-3949.)

KRONOS QUARTET

Four world-première works—by John Adams (“Fellow Traveler”), Aviya Kopelman, Fernando Otero, and Aleksandra Vrebalov—are featured in the latest program from the invaluable adventurers of the string-quartet universe. (Zankel Hall. 212-247-7800. Feb. 22 at 7:30.)

CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER: “AMERICAN VOICES 1750-2008”

In the finale of the society’s Winter Festival of American music, the beloved mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe joins its musicians in the world première of Alan Louis Smith’s “Vignettes: Covered Wagon Woman,” part of a concert that also includes music by Gottschalk, Heinrich (the “Barbecue Divertimento,” from 1825-26), and Ives (the Piano Trio). (New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St. 212-875-5788. Feb. 22 at 7:30 and Feb. 24 at 5.)

BARGEMUSIC

The violinist Jonathan Gandelsman, from the Silk Road Ensemble, and the dynamic young pianist Francesco Tristano Schlimé offer works by Janácek, Pärt, and Prokofiev (the fiery Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano), along with new music by Luis Prado and Justin Messina. (Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn. 718-624-2083. Feb. 22 at 8. For full schedule, see www.bargemusic.org.)

“MUSIC FROM JAPAN” FESTIVAL 2008

Feb. 23 at 8: Decades before Chinese composers came to international attention, Japan’s Toru Takemitsu gave classical music a distinctively Asian voice. The first of the annual festival’s two concerts is devoted to exploring the concept of ma (powerful silence) that Takemitsu held dear, heard in his own work (“Seasons”) and in pieces by Cage and Hiroya Miura, all juxtaposed with examples of ancient gagaku music (performed by members of the renowned Reigakusha ensemble). | Feb. 24 at 4: “Current Sounds” features new music by such composers as Tetsuji Emura and Toshio Nakagawa (“The Hermit on the Rock”). (Merkin Concert Hall, 129 W. 67th St. 212-501-3330.)

MIDORI

The violinist, adding some range to her repertory, teams up with some exciting collaborators—including the pianist Marc-André Hamelin, the Daedalus Quartet, and the clarinettist Anthony McGill—to perform two works by the twentieth-century Russian composer Alfred Schnittke (the First Violin Sonata and the Septet) along with pieces by Bach and Shostakovich (the Piano Quintet). (Rose Theatre, Broadway at 60th St. 212-721-6500. Feb. 24 at 5.)

GILBERT KALISH AND THE JUILLIARD STRING QUARTET

Those looking to slake their thirst for the music of Elliott Carter (not too difficult in New York these days) can hear the Quintet for Piano and Strings (1997) performed by some of the city’s most admired artists, who will also take up the Piano Quintet by Ralph Shapey; quartets by Haydn and Verdi round out the program. (Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, Juilliard School. Feb. 25 at 8. For information about free tickets, which are required, call 212-769-7406.)

DAVID FINCKEL AND WU HAN

The husband-and-wife cello-and-piano team, taking a moment off from their stewardship of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, offer a recital of works by Beethoven, Webern, and Brahms (the Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major) at the Morgan Library and Museum’s elegant little concert hall. (Madison Ave. at 36th St. 212-685-0008. Feb. 26 at 7:30.)